Cynthia Mosser

Julie ALPERT , a Seattle-based artist/painter, exhibits a partially collaborative show of work called SPLAT at the Archer Gallery inside Clark College (Vancouver, WA). I love the work for its use of color, whimsy, pattern and arrangement within the gallery. The show is based around one image, essentially an icon or symbol of layers of colorful splattered paint as it drips down the canvas/paper. The splats are created in a variety of materials: paint, paper, pen, and incorporate pattern, another reoccurring theme in Alpert's work. The splats are organized often in a grid-like pattern, perhaps alluding to organized chaos. The idea of the splat itself could certanly be related to a feeling or action: angst, whimsy, fun or simply the act of irreverence (or all at once). In terms of the show, half of it was a residency where she taught students and half was her own. (I have posted only her work.) I appreciated her working with students, giving them an opportunity to see the wo...

I realized I am a hedonist. For example, I love great amounts of time where I can sit and daydream. My work also has as an indulgent quality due to its curves and overflowing appearance. With that said, I decided to look into the idea further by reading the book  Against the Grain or A Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans. The book is about an aristocrat who holes himself up in an isolated villa and surrounds himself with luxury and excess. Image source: amazon.com

My word for the year is ELEVATE.

Happy New Year! Image source: brestbrestbrest.fr

A work of mine was selected for the SUGAR RUSH exhibition at the EN EM Art Space in Sacramento, CA, USA. Opening December 13, 2014 and running through January 17, 2015, the theme, SUGAR RUSH, showcases the varied ways in which artists interpret the theme of sugar. Works were selected by guest judge and co-curator, Rhonda Coleman, (formerly of the Henry Art Gallery (Seattle, WA), the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, DC) and Univeristy of Southern California's Fisher Gallery. Open Saturdays & Sundays 1-7 PM. Weekdays by appointment. EN EM Art Space 1714 Broadway Sacramento, CA 95818 www.enemspace.com

Installation by Pip & Pop  in Kurashiki, Okayama , Japan . Through a Hole in the Mountain Made from Washi tape! I cannot get enough of the color! Image source: irisnectar

Published in 1971, Living Well Is the Best Revenge is Calvin Tomkins' account of the lives of Gerald and Sara Murphy, two American expatriates who formed a group of friends in France during the 1920s. Living in Antibes, France, they befriended artists and writers, including Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Ernest Hemingway and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. It was in Paris that Gerald Murphy first came across Cubist painting. This began a short career as a painter from 1922 to 1929. He produced 15 works; seven survive. Because of the death of his two young sons, he stopped painting. The title of the book ( Living Well is the Best Revenge ) comes from a thought that Murphy was happiest when he painted, and was never happy again because he gave it up (due to the loss of his sons).   As an artist myself, the question remains, "Either a comfortable life and lousy work, or a lousy life and beautiful work." (Ferdinand Leger). Can one have both? Below: Ger...